The Ebony and Ivory Empire
' Early History' The Ebony and Ivory Empire first rose to prominence around the year 1066. The Theocratic state was led by an enigmatic figure known only as the Great Prophet. Very little is known of this individual's origin, but he provided the strong central leadership that would propel the nation to accomplish many of its great feats. Prior to this time, the various peoples of the Empire lived largely separated by barriers both geographic and linguistic. Popular legend holds that the people of the area once lived in a great and mighty civilization that fell to causes that no one remembers any longer. Some time after this occurred in the foggy mists of history, the people of the Empire must have developed the caste system that serves as a common root of culture and social stability within their society that made them easier to integrate into the Empire. Culture The Ebony and Ivory Empire is a highly patriarchal society in the South and Central regions, but has integrated into it a Matriarchal society of Amazons to the North. The people of the Empire are very superstitious, ascribing supernatural powers to the Qoi Caste, those who happen to be born albino and who are believed to be touched by the spirits in some way. It is unclear as of yet whether or not any of these beliefs have validity to them. They follow a doctrine based around hierarchy within nature and the divine: there is one great god who rules all things, but he has intermediaries and other gods to whom he has delegated responsibilities to. It is believed that it is better to communicate with the lower echelon of gods than to risk the attention of the higher gods. It is also believed that the Great Prophet and supreme leader occupies a position within the hierarchy, the sole position occupied by any human. Thusly, his authority is both political and divine in nature. The Empire's caste system includes a number of castes and subcastes, but especially prominent are the Po, Shu, Qoi, and Ahan castes. Acheivements The Empire quickly domesticated large populations of elephants, and utilizes them in both warfare and for infrastructure and heavy labor. The presence of the elephant is extraordinarily important, and the ramifications of its domestication are highly important for the development of Imperial Society. After a round of expansion a phenomenon of the Qoi claiming to be able to commune with spirits on a mass scale occurred, and they were cloistered, supported by the state, and investigations are being held as to whether or not these claims might be true. Nothing conclusive has been determined yet. The Prophet is suspicious. Recently, near the turn of the age, the Ebony and Ivory Empire developed a transit and logistics system that utilized rivers as major arteries, created regional distribution systems hinging on elephant transport, and ended in capillaries of local road systems. This feat represents a coup in terms of economic and social development: it allows for greater specialization of labor, regionalization, and nation wide logistics. This achievement will surely project the Empire into a new age of prosperity. Category:Nation Category:Empire Builder 4